Athletic Bilbao vs Viktoria Plzen

The margin for error is slim in an exciting Europa League encounter between Athletic Bilbao and Viktoria Plzen at Estadio San Mames.

Despite an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at Besiktas last week, Athletic Bilbao are on the verge of securing automatic qualification for the round of 16 of the Europa League. Indeed, the hosts would need to lose here and numerous results elsewhere to go against them to drop outside the top eight. Buoyed by an impressive 12-game unbeaten league run, Ernesto Valverde’s charges head into proceedings determined to end a two-game winless home streak in all competitions (D1, L1) after drawing 0-0 against Leganes last weekend. That result forms part of Bilbao’s stuttering start to the new calendar year, as they’ve only won once in six competitive matches within 90 minutes (D2, L3). A lack of composure in front of goal saw them fail to find the net on three occasions in that sequence.

On the other hand, Plzen rekindled their hopes of ensuring direct last-16 qualification with a 2-0 home win against Anderlecht last week, closing the gap on eighth-placed FCSB to two points. The visitors have fared reasonably well on the road this season, avoiding defeat on all three Europa League travels (W1, D2) while netting 2+ goals each time. Furthermore, Miroslav Koubek’s men have only lost one of their last 13 European away games, qualifiers included (W9, D3), suggesting a win against the odds here isn’t beyond them. However, Plzen’s miserable record against Spanish opposition could be a significant roadblock, as they’ve lost eight of their 11 UEFA matches against La Liga clubs (W2, D1).